Thanks to GO! Gamer.com for this update on Gears of War 2 including new improvements:

Just released today, May 26, the new Gears of War 2 Title Update 6 introduces a new social matchmaking system to the online multiplayer. Social Matches, now available for download via Xbox Live, allow players to jump in and out of games—including Horde—without disruption. Parties can also join in-progress matches or create their own new match if none are available. This new social matchmaking feature is open to anyone who owns all four downloadable map packs. Anyone missing any specific maps may be pleased to know that map packs are now available on the Xbox Live Market place at a new lower price.

Along with Social Matches, the new Title Update 6 also includes all of the following updates, additions, and changes:

Improvements
Title Update 6 makes these new improvements:

• Adds a new public multiplayer match option called Social Xbox LIVE (aka player matches), open to anyone who owns all downloadable maps (that is, All Fronts Collection).
  • You can join Social Matches in progress and can quit any time without penalty, although players who quit early don’t receive earned experience (XP).
  • Social matchmaking lets your party join a match in progress. If a match is not found, your party hosts a new match, filling any empty player slots with bots.
  • Social Matches automatically cycle to the next map without further matchmaking.
  • Teams are rebalanced between matches based on XP level without splitting parties.
  • If you quit, your spot is taken by a bot until a new player joins the match. That new player can join while the match is in progress.
  • If you join a match in progress, you are assigned a team based on XP level and party size.
  • If you join a match in progress, you replace a bot at the earliest opportunity: at the first bot’s death for respawning game types (for example, Annex) and at round completion for Warzone, Execution, and Wingman.
  • Social leaderboards become part of the War Journal.
• Renames Public Matches to Ranked Xbox LIVE Matches to differentiate these from Social Xbox LIVE Matches, and adds some improvements to these matches.
  • Improved host selection using bandwidth testing and previous hosting data has been added.
  • Before the match begins, teams are balanced based on XP without splitting parties.
• Renames Private Matches to Custom Xbox LIVE Matches and makes these matches invite-only.
• Adds the ability to join Horde sessions that are in progress.
  • In Social Horde, you can join a session in progress through matchmaking.
  • In Ranked Horde, you can join a session in progress only through invites.
  • If you join a session in progress, at the end of the session you receive the score you achieved during the time you spent in the session.
• Improves the precision of weapon selection using the D-pad.
• Improves client-side hit detection for ballistic weapons.

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